The nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction companies are on the BIM bandwagon in a big way, according to Building Design+Construction's premier Top 50 BIM Adopters ranking, published as part of the 2009 Giants 300 survey.
Of the 320 AEC firms that participated in Giants survey, 83% report having at least one BIM seat license in house, half have more than 30 seats, and nearly a quarter (23%) have 100-plus seats. In total, the Giants hold 28,174 BIM seats, with the average firm having 106 seats.
As expected, design firms are the biggest adopters of BIM, representing 48 of the top 50. AECOM Technology Corp. and HDR Architecture hold the most BIM seats, each with 2,000, followed by Parsons Brinckerhoff (1,800), Gensler (1,320), and HOK (840). Turner (#8 with 530 seats) and Mortensen Construction (#38 with 163 seats) are the only pure contractors to make the Top 50 BIM Adopters list.
 |
| Project: Yankee StadiumArchitect: HOK Sport + Venue + EventStructural engineer: Thornton Tomasetti (EA 10)MEP engineer: M-E Engineers (E 15)General contractor: Turner (C 1, CM 17)Construction manager: Tishman Speyer PropertiesRendering: Courtesy Turner Construction Co. |
BIM adoption seems to be slowing among the Giants, which is expected given the rough economic environment. Slightly more than half (51%) of the respondents have added or plan on adding BIM seat licenses in 2009, down from 63% in 2008. And the number of seats being purchased is expected to drop by 56% this year, from a total of 6,465 in 2008 to 2,837 in 2009.
Stantec and Gensler are adding the most seats this year (250 and 199) and are two of only four firms adding more than 100 seats in 2009—compared to eight firms in 2008.
Expanded Top BIM Adopter rankings are available at www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants.
| Company* | # of BIM seat licenses | # seats added in '08 | # seats adding in '09 | |
| *Several firms, including Fluor Corp., report having an enterprise license for BIM-related software, and, therefore, cannot provide adoption numbers. Source: 2009 Giants 300 survey. Expanded BIM rankings at: www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants. | ||||
| 1 | AECOM Technology Corp. | 2,000 | — | — |
| 1 | HDR Architecture | 2,000 | 2,000 | — |
| 3 | Parsons Brinckerhoff | 1,800 | 40 | 50 |
| 4 | Gensler | 1,320 | 300 | 199 |
| 5 | HOK | 840 | — | — |
| 6 | Perkins+Will | 800 | 80 | — |
| 7 | HKS | 650 | 200 | — |
| 8 | Turner | 530 | 200 | 100 |
| 9 | SSOE | 500 | 150 | 50 |
| 10 | Skidmore, Owings & Merrill | 450 | 75 | 25 |
| 11 | Arup | 407 | — | — |
| 12 | RTKL Associates | 373 | 43 | — |
| 13 | Cannon Design | 320 | — | — |
| 14 | SmithGroup | 312 | 80 | — |
| 15 | Merrick & Co. | 302 | 15 | 25 |
| 16 | CH2M HILL | 300 | 40 | — |
| 17 | Jacobs | 280 | 280 | 15 |
| 18 | Middough | 270 | 10 | 20 |
| 18 | TLC Engineering for Architecture | 270 | 25 | — |
| 20 | Day & Zimmermann International | 265 | — | — |
| 21 | Stantec | 250 | 100 | 250 |
| 22 | Dewberry | 233 | 30 | 65 |
| 23 | Perkowitz+Ruth Architects | 225 | — | — |
| 23 | Smith Seckman Reid | 225 | 45 | 20 |
| 25 | KJWW Engineering Consultants | 209 | 35 | — |
| 26 | HNTB | 208 | — | — |
| 27 | Burt Hill | 205 | 25 | — |
| 28 | Gresham, Smith and Partners | 203 | 30 | — |
| 29 | Bergmann Associates, Architects Engineers Planners | 200 | 30 | 20 |
| 29 | Syska Hennessy Group | 200 | — | — |
| 31 | X-nth | 199 | 10 | — |
| 32 | PageSoutherlandPage | 181 | 36 | 50 |
| 33 | Albert Kahn Associates | 180 | 35 | 10 |
| 33 | Goodwyn Mills and Cawood | 180 | 20 | — |
| 35 | Affiliated Engineers | 175 | 13 | — |
| 36 | Heery International | 173 | 10 | 10 |
| 37 | Fanning/Howey Associates | 169 | 12 | 26 |
| 38 | Mortenson Construction | 163 | 25 | — |
| 39 | Morris Architects | 162 | 20 | — |
| 40 | KMD Architects | 155 | 20 | 10 |
| 41 | Clark Nexsen | 153 | 10 | — |
| 42 | KlingStubbins | 150 | 50 | 75 |
| 42 | RNL Design | 150 | — | — |
| 44 | GRAEF | 145 | 15 | 5 |
| 44 | Leo A Daly | 145 | 22 | 30 |
| 44 | NTD Architecture | 145 | — | — |
| 47 | Arquitectonica | 140 | — | — |
| 47 | Corgan Associates | 140 | 25 | — |
| 47 | CTA Architects Engineers | 140 | 115 | — |
| 47 | Little | 140 | — | — |
| 2009 | 2008 | Company | 2008 Billings ($) |
| Rank | |||
| Source: 2009 Giants 300 survey. For expanded Architecture Firm rankings, visit: www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants | |||
| 1 | 1 | Gensler | 744,300,000 |
| 2 | 2 | Perkins+Will | 400,000,000 |
| 3 | 3 | Callison | 185,000,000 |
| 4 | — | Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates | 146,000,000 |
| 5 | 4 | NBBJ | 135,735,000 |
| 6 | 5 | RMJM | 129,989,567 |
| 7 | 9 | WATG | 110,889,000 |
| 8 | 6 | Perkins Eastman | 107,000,000 |
| 9 | 7 | Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects | 81,070,000 |
| 10 | 15 | tvsdesign | 71,000,000 |
| 11 | 13 | HMC Architects | 65,446,823 |
| 12 | 8 | Arquitectonica | 62,400,000 |
| 13 | 10 | MulvannyG2 Architecture | 60,000,000 |
| 14 | 34 | VOA Associates | 51,000,000 |
| 15 | 12 | NTD Architecture | 49,200,000 |
| 16 | 24 | Corgan Associates | 48,929,118 |
| 17 | 17 | Anshen+Allen | 47,394,883 |
| 18 | 18 | OZ Architecture | 44,300,000 |
| 19 | 14 | Perkowitz+Ruth Architects | 44,000,000 |
| 20 | 21 | FXFOWLE Architects | 43,700,000 |
| 21 | 19 | Cooper Carry | 42,715,000 |
| 22 | 11 | Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart & Associates | 42,470,000 |
| 23 | 23 | Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott | 42,081,801 |
| 24 | 26 | Ware Malcomb | 41,896,419 |
| 25 | 35 | BBG-BBGM | 41,000,000 |
| 26 | 27 | RSP Architects | 40,091,508 |
| 27 | — | BLT Architects | 39,500,000 |
| 28 | 29 | FRCH Design Worldwide | 39,000,000 |
| 29 | — | SchenkelShultz | 34,880,000 |
| 30 | 29 | KKE Architects | 33,200,000 |
| 31 | 37 | WWCOT | 32,400,000 |
| 32 | 33 | FKP Architects | 31,939,000 |
| 33 | 48 | Fentress Architects | 31,679,680 |
| 34 | — | NAC Architecture | 31,551,000 |
| 35 | 35 | Jerde Partnership, The | 28,700,000 |
| 36 | — | SHW Group | 28,000,000 |
| 37 | 43 | Morris Architects | 27,109,737 |
| 38 | — | RBB Architects | 27,000,000 |
| 39 | 28 | WHR Architects | 26,400,000 |
| 40 | 38 | MBH Architects | 26,294,628 |
| 41 | — | Goodwyn Mills and Cawood | 26,240,000 |
| 42 | 20 | Nadel Architects | 26,000,000 |
| 43 | — | Polshek Partnership Architects | 25,397,128 |
| 44 | 32 | Niles Bolton Associates | 25,300,000 |
| 45 | 22 | Mithun | 24,000,000 |
| 46 | 44 | Cuningham Group Architecture | 23,892,676 |
| 47 | 41 | Harvard Jolly | 23,828,636 |
| 48 | 45 | Solomon Cordwell Buenz | 23,500,000 |
| 49 | 42 | Carrier Johnson + Culture | 22,000,000 |
| 50 | — | Gould Evans Associates | 21,402,000 |
| 51 | — | Cambridge Seven Associates | 21,400,000 |
| 52 | 50 | Kirksey | 20,821,686 |
Related Stories
| Feb 15, 2011
Iconic TWA terminal may reopen as a boutique hotel
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey hopes to squeeze a hotel with about 150 rooms in the space between the old TWA terminal and the new JetBlue building. The old TWA terminal would serve as an entry to the hotel and hotel lobby, which would also contain restaurants and shops.
| Feb 15, 2011
New Orleans' rebuilt public housing architecture gets mixed reviews
The architecture of New Orleans’ new public housing is awash with optimism about how urban-design will improve residents' lives—but the changes are based on the idealism of an earlier era that’s being erased and revised.
| Feb 15, 2011
LAUSD commissions innovative prefab prototypes for future building
The LA Unified School District, under the leadership of a new facilities director, reversed course regarding prototypes for its new schools and engaged architects to create compelling kit-of-parts schemes that are largely prefabricated.
| Feb 15, 2011
New 2030 Challenge to include carbon footprint of building materials and products
Architecture 2030 has just broadened the scope of its 2030 Challenge, issuing an additional challenge regarding the climate impact of building products. The 2030 Challenge for Products aims to reduce the embodied carbon (meaning the carbon emissions equivalent) of building products 50% by 2030.
| Feb 15, 2011
New Urbanist Andrés Duany: We need a LEED Brown rating
Andrés Duany advocates a "LEED Brown" rating that would give contractors credit for using traditional but low cost measures that are not easy to quantify or certify. He described these steps as "the original green," and "what we did when we didn't have money." Ostensibly, LEED Brown would be in addition to the current Silver, Gold and Platinum ratings.
| Feb 15, 2011
AIA on President Obama's proposed $1 billion investment in energy conservation
The President’s budget increases the value of investment in energy conservation in commercial buildings by roughly $1 billion, reports AIA 2011 President Clark Manus, FAIA. The significant increase from the current tax deduction of $1.80 per sq. ft. now on the books is an increase for which the AIA has been advocating in order to encourage energy conservation.
| Feb 14, 2011
Sustainable Roofing: A Whole-Building Approach
According to sustainability experts, the first step toward designing an energy-efficient roofing system is to see roof materials and systems as an integral component of the enclosure and the building as a whole. Earn 1.0 AIA/CES learning units by studying this article and successfully completing the online exam.
